Two and a Half Minutes
by Coffee Filters
Summary: How long does it take to decide whether you do or don't? Ichigo's thoughts on his and Rukia's relationship as he waits outside her wedding, seeing if she'll bolt or not. It's surprising how much history can happen between two people in a matter of seconds


_Extended summary: How long does it take to decide whether you do or don't? Ichigo's thoughts on his and Rukia's relationship as he waits outside her wedding, seeing if she'll bolt or not. It's surprising how much history can happen between two people in a matter of seconds. Life altering decisions can be made in under the briefest amounts of time._

_Disclaimer: Inspired by a moment from an episode of that WB show_ Popular _called_ Consequences of Falling_. Man I love that show. Why oh why did it have to end? Oh and_ Bleach _isn't mine, neither are these characters, but I will give myself a tiny bit of credit for writing this._

**Two and a Half Minutes**

**xxxxx**

A hand reached up to light the tip of a cigarette. The fire catching the end quickly, allowing the owner to take a long drag as he placed the lighter back in his pocket.

It was just one of those Sunday afternoons where nothing extraordinary felt like happening. Birds whistled overhead, the sun shown brightly through the clouds, and laziness seemed to be the general mood for those few passersby in downtown Karakura.

This part of the city was a little dead at this time of day. Being the weekend, most of the suits and officials were scarce, and those few seen were shoppers or those living around the area. A small group of people lounged around a stoop, listening to radio countdowns while chatting and laughing. Some children chased one another around the hot asphalt. Laugh tracks and applause from various television sets rose out of higher stories' windows and back to the street.

Shops and business entrances lined the road, some closed, others opened. The buildings that housed them were a mismatch of heights and color. Downtown was a mix of old and new, (very picturesque for a day like today) and where one building would look the antique, its neighbor would be flashy and new. It worked, in a way, but like a constant thread throughout the sidewalk, stood small saplings, which provided tiny shade for the one or two cars parked along the meters.

More notably, situated beside this sidewalk, near one of the saplings, and beside one of the said meters was a 1969 sapphire blue Shelby Mustang GT. Its lone occupant lounging back against the headrest, his arm swinging outside the window with a lit cigarette between his fingers.

Impatiently, he took another drag before shaking the ash with a flick of his wrist.

He looked himself in his side mirror as he adjusted his head's position. A scowling face and bright, orange hair greeted him back before his amber eyes flickered back to the dashboard's digital clock.

2:31

It's been one minute since the damn thing started, and Ichigo was beginning to think that this plan was pretty stupid (not that it was a smart idea in the first place). For one minute he's been sitting here in his car, waiting. For one minute, he's been sitting here, feeling like a fool.

He moved forward, placed his right hand on the keys already resting in the ignition, and looked up.

It probably was too late anyways.

One minute sometimes made all the difference.

**xxxxx**

_Ichigo looked up to stare uncomfortably at the amethyst eyes facing him._

_It had to be easy. Three little words couldn't be the undoing of a man who took on the entire Soul Society, a power hungry Shinigami, or this weeks' finals._

_He was graduating high school tomorrow dammit! That meant that he had to be an adult for things like this, and it started to feel like everyone (from his father, to the twins, to Urahara, and even Sado) knew about it but the petite creature in front of him._

_Which was just odd come to think about it. They've been through so much already, one would think that she would already know what he was going to say when he asked her on the roof that night. One couldn't have gone through a rescued execution, journeyed through the sands of Hueco Mundo, or lived through a war without learning some things about one's best friend._

_Although it seemed that Rukia Kuchiki did._

_"Rukia," he finally got out, and at that the eyes he was staring at seemed to brighten. This was reassuring. A small, unwarranted smile crept up in his own face as he considered her._

_Interrupting his own thoughts, she coughed politely, and Ichigo raised his head nervously. "Right," he thought aloud. "Right." He picked up her hand, thinking that it was the best way, and he missed the small smirk that grew on the raven-haired girl's own face._

_--only, Ichigo, feeling that uncomfortable, dropped her palm as soon as he came in contact with it. Her smile dropped too._

_He faced his knees now, and he adjusted his sitting stance as if that were the root of all this awkwardness. "It's just that Rukia--"_

_A tiny glimmer of hope crossed her features, before Ichigo stopped himself again. "What I mean to say," he cleared his throat importantly, "it's that--"_

_He took a moment to scratch the back of his neck and to consider his next words carefully._

_"Idiot," she cut him off, her lips tightening against their will into a smile. Ichigo managed a look at her then, and the small woman leaned over to peck him on the cheek._

_A blush grew from the contact and spread across his face. In awe he touched his cheek as he watched a blush rise in Rukia as well. A smile still caught on her lips._

_She looked at the ground as she said three words not exactly like his planned ones but just as good._

_"I do too."_

**xxxxx**

Ichigo's hand caught the keychain dangling on the metal loop, and he looked down suddenly, as if remembering.

It was a stupid pink bunny. The tiny, beady eyes looked directly at him. It's face almost twisted in a smirk, so reminiscent of its giver.

Sighing, he eyed the clock again, before sinking back against the leather upholstery.

He stared at the rearview mirrors as a few children ran by chasing a ball, and he brought his hand to his lips to meet the cigarette. Taking another puff, he eyed the damn bunny again. Its smirk was teasing him.

**xxxxx**

_"Ichigo," he heard her call out quietly. He felt their mattress sink as she sat up._

_He couldn't. He was tired from a week of hard work catching up with him. First, a few meetings in Soul Society about rebuilding certain sectors, then his duties at the hospital, and that cram session last night. Inoue and Ishida did their best to help him for that test, and yet he knew that failure wasn't far away. He could feel it in his gut. Not to forget avoiding Kenpachi, Urahara, and his dad. Everyone seemed to have business with him at the moment. Everyone except the tiny woman who was calling out his name. Well other than now obviously--_

_"Ichigo," she purred. He felt her straddle him, disrupting their sheets. The cool air greeted him, and the sun danced across his closed eyelids. He felt one of her bare thighs rub against his hand for a second as her feet wiggled near his knees. "Wake up!" she ordered a little impatiently._

_He wished he could wake up. Really, he did, but he couldn't manage to lift one heavy eyelid up to barely a slit before it fell back down. He was so tired, so so tired, he couldn't manage to reach out for her like he wanted._

_Damn. His body wasn't obeying, and at a time like this! He hadn't seen Rukia in what felt like weeks, despite living together. Come to think of it, he was pretty sure she wasn't here this morning, when he finally passed out on his pillow, mentally exhausted from the hardest exam in his life and physically from all the Shinigami duties he had previously._

_He felt as she ducked down, aligning her torso along his, and as she rested her hands against his chest for support. "Huh?" she thought aloud. "You're really knocked out." She prodded his collar bone, and not getting a reaction, he felt her begin to lift herself off him._

_With all the strength he could muster, he snaked one of his hands around her waist, resting it there from the exertion._

_He felt her lips perk into a smile as she rested her head near his neck. Her breathing tickling his skin lightly. "So that's how it's going to be is it?" she asked him, making herself more comfortable on top of him._

_Ichigo didn't reply, only tugged her a little closer. He couldn't even remember the last time he saw the gorgeous creature on top of him. She'd been busy with her work with Ashido in Hueco Mundo, her new position as a seated officer in Squad 13, and her duties to the Kuchiki household. Not to forget, Soul Society was also more settled than before, and the new Central 46 was beginning to regulate the amount of travel between their two worlds a little more strictly._

_Seeing Rukia was now a luxury, and having her on top of him was just winning the lottery, if only his damn body would wake up._

_He felt her tummy rumble with laughter, and her lips lightly press a kiss to his jaw before settling back against him. "Don't bother," she said. "I can tell you're way too burnt out." He felt her hand glide down his arm, and cup his palm reassuringly. She pecked his neck as he felt her drop something lightly in his hand. "Happy Birthday Ichigo," she whispered, settling against him to drift off to sleep._

_It was his birthday, and he didn't even realize it. _

_Closing his palm around the small object, he forced himself to tighten his hold around her waist as he arched his neck down to kiss the top of her forehead. "Thanks Rukia," he said gruffly, his eyes barely open to register her sleeping face._

_And as if on cue, she opened her eyes sleepily. "Go back to sleep idiot," she mumbled, settling back down to rest against him._

_He felt his eyelids droop and obeyed, his fingers tightening around what felt like a tiny plastic bunny, hanging on a metal loop._

**xxxxx **

Ichigo checked his rearview mirror, and spotted his scowl staring back at him.

Looking immediately away, he did his best not to check the dashboard's clock, and instead looked outside the car's open window.

He took another small puff as he watched two children yell at each other. One pointed to the ground at a broken toy sitting there, while the other shrugged and continuously shook his head.

Giving in he turned to the clock again.

2:32

Two minutes have gone by since it was scheduled, and a lot can happen in two minutes, he reasoned. Lives could pass away, people could forget, a tiny shinigami could make a life altering decision…

Deliberately, he flicked some of the ash off his cigarette out the window.

How hard was it to make up your mind, really?

**xxxxx**

_He knew that expression so well._

_He's seen it on her a thousand times before if not more. It was a look of pure decisiveness, pure resolution, pure Kuchiki._

_They were both catching their breaths. Shouting and yelling at one another for the past hour or so had that effect on people._

_As they're heart races returned to normal, and their reiatsu faded into the air, they regarded each other silently._

_Ichigo looked up and gaged her calm face and determined eyes. It was different than all the other fights they've had before. This one carried weight and held nothing back. They brought up issues which he used to consider taboo before, and although this would normally clear the air between them, he saw no end in sight._

_He enjoyed the usual spats they had. Reveled in it really. It was how both of their personalities were comfortable to communicate, and Ichigo knew no other way to act. There would be screaming and yelling, punches to the gut (from her), and jokes about being short (from him). So now, seeing Rukia not yell or stomp her foot or storm out of the room sent the message out clearer than any words could._

_Nowadays, their spats were growing in number and in seriousness. There were days without seeing or speaking to one another, apologies sent via texts and hell butterflies. They felt embarrassed with one another after these fights, and he knew that neither of them knew how to act. Because, he could see, that deep down, past all of it, that the apologies weren't doing their job. Their barbs might have been accounted for, but they're points still stung._

_Having caught her breath, Rukia sighed, her chin pointing downward instead of facing him head on. "So," her voice piped up. He looked up to meet her eyes and she turned red at the frankness of it all. "So," he could tell she forced herself to repeat. "What do we do now?"_

_Ichigo watched as she bravely raised her head to face him, knowing that it was taking an effort on both their parts to look directly at one another._

_"Maybe," he breathed out. He was taken aback as her eyes met his, showing an eagerness to hear him. "We should take a break," he finished lamely._

_Rukia looked blank for a minute. "A break."_

_"Yeah," Ichigo continued, although every part of him revolted. "We need to get ourselves in order before we can--"_

_"Of course," she cut him off, a fake smile plastered on her features. "A break is what we need," and she left the next morning._

**xxxxx**

His mouth curved as if he were whistling, and a cloud of smoke escaped his lips.

Normally, he wouldn't warrant the use of cigarettes in his pristine vehicle. The smell, he knew, would stick for ages, but at the same time, he wanted it there.

It could be a reminder of his own force of will…or his own stupidity.

Checking the rearview mirror, he watched as some old fogies walked down the sidewalk. As they passed, one of the children broke away from the group to reach up and hug one of them. Their tiny arms reaching out as the gentleman crouched down to pick her up. Their smiles and happy expressions so lively, Ichigo could see it from his seat in his car.

Grunting, he began to tap his finger against the bottom of the steering wheel as he checked the clock again.

**xxxxx**

_Ichigo made a noise akin to a grunt._

_"Don't tell me that you're jealous?" Renji teased as Ichigo did his best to counter his last attack._

_"I'm not!" He protested as he came at the baboon with renewed force, Zangetsu aimed at his chest._

_If he was honest, Ichigo had to admit that the news of Rukia's engagement might have been an outlying factor in why his reiatsu was building up so fast._

_"Really?" Renji baited. "Because it seems like you ar-GH!" Renji countered the thrust, so pushed off, Ichigo shunpo-ed to try a different attack._

_"We've been broken up for two years Renji," Ichigo reminded him, making sure to change his position to confuse the damn man. That toothy grin annoyed him to no end. "She's free to marry whoever Byakuya chose for her." He did his best to hide the bitterness in his voice._

_"Last I heard," Renji said, taking the defensive. "You two were on a break." Ichigo struck, Renji blocked, and Ichigo went out to change positions. He circled him, hoping to worry the bastard with his built up spiritual pressure. "What kind of break lasts two years?" Renji asked almost laughingly._

_Ichigo wiped that smile off his face as he jumped in for another hit._

**xxxxx**

Ichigo stared ahead, the cigarette precariously held between two fingers. He was getting a bit irritated now, and he tapped the top of the steering wheel impatiently.

He honestly didn't know why he was still here if it's been two minutes.

He took a drag.

Two minutes is enough time to seal the deal, he reasoned. Two minutes was enough to make up one's mind.

_It's too late. She did it._ A small voice inside his head taunted him. Ichigio closed his ears to it.

He blew out the smoke.

_Those two minutes are your answer_, it said,_ and yet, you still sit here, too stubborn to actually believe it!_

Ichigo shook his head to fight that logical statement out. Maybe it was really never to be. Because, who was he to demand things of her, even now?

A lot can happen in two minutes, he knew.

And these two minutes had to be the longest in his life.

**xxxxx**

_He watched as she hugged her arms, rubbing up and down the goosebumps raising on her flesh. She had slipped out of her shoes early for the dancing, so she stood before him at her natural height._

_"What is it Ichigo?" she asked a little irritated. The wind blew, lifting flanks of her hair off her shoulders, and he watched, transfixed, as strands danced around her._

_Why did he call her outside? The rest of the wedding party was living it up, most of the shinigami consumed enough sake to sail a ship, and most of the respectable captains were leaving. Rukia had a duty to see them off, not to forget the nobles who were calling it a night, and yet none of that stopped Ichigo from grabbing her elbow and leading her to the back exit of the hotel._

_How Rukia convinced everyone to allow a noble Kuchiki wedding to be held in the World of the Living, he'll probably never know. Renji only theorized that Byakuya allowed her that decision since so much was made for her already. The ceremony, the guests, and the groom were all taken care of, he knew, so it was just like Rukia to rebel that tiny bit and have the wedding in Karakura. Urahara showed him all the barriers he set up too._

_"Ichigo?" she snapped slightly, her amethyst eyes glaring at him._

_Ichigo let go of her then, his arm now fixed in his pocket. "I'm not going."_

_"Excuse me?"_

_"To the wedding," he clarified. "Consider this my RSVP."_

_A ripple of emotions passed over her features, and for a second, Ichigo's resolved wavered. But only for just a second._

_Rukia's face settled on annoyance, and she looked up at him, chin defiantly stuck up. "Fine."_

_"Fine," he repeated._

_They stood there, the cool night air pressing around them as the dim sounds of the music from inside thumped through the building._

_She bit her lip in impatience and consider him cooly. "Are we done?"_

_Ichigo nodded, and she turned on her bare heel, walking back to the metal door they just exited._

_"But," and she stopped at that word, not turning around. "I'll wait."_

_She faced him at that and he caught her gaze directly. "I'll be two blocks away if you need me."_

_A pucker grew between her eyebrows and he could see a scold form at the tip of her tongue. Yet, instead of a string of curses, she exhaled, her body relaxing ever-so-slightly while she continued to stare at him._

_"He's a good man Ichigo," she said. "And although it may not seem like it, the Kuchikis do have my best interest at heart."_

_"I know," he allowed. "But don't you think that you should have your interest considering it's your own heart?"_

**xxxxx**

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear the small clacks of a pair of pumps down the sidewalk or a few of the gasps of little children as a tiny woman dressed to the nines in white passed by.

He did, however, feel the car lurch as the passenger's door opened, and refused to turn to face the intruder as she clambered in, adjusting the luscious fabric of her skirts to accommodate herself.

He checked his watch to see the second hand fighting its way half towards three minutes.

"You're late," he muttered, unable to bite back the smirk pinching at at the corner of his mouth, as he turned to her.

"Idiot," the raven-haired girl defended. "You try running in heels."

He allowed the rest of the smirk to grow on his face and watched as she reached under her full skirt for the offending shoes. She exhaled and tossed them into the back seat, then as if noticing for the first time, she looked around. "Nice car."

Ichigo chuckled lightly. "Thanks."

She stared ahead, and as the car sat there, she turned to face him. "Aren't we going to gas it?"

Ichigo stared her. Her hair was falling out of the up-do she had and fell in soft, messy waves around her, framing her face. The white wedding dress, was pouffy to the point of ridiculousness, and the veil was askew on her head. Her face was red from running her and probably the weight of the dress. She was a mess really, and yet the way the sun shown through the glass behind her, the way her eyes shone with strong resolution, all added up to a complete picture of her in his mind.

"Put your seat belt on first," he ordered, starting the ignition.

She sighed dramatically. "Always tell me what to do I see," but she did it anyways. "For your sake," she added almost laughingly, "this better work out or my brother will definitely kill you."

Ichigo allowed himself a smile as he turned to face outside the window on his side. Quickly, he took a quick puff. "For our sakes," he began as he turned to face her, their eyes meeting, "it will."

She smiled at that, her eyes holding that daring that always teased him, like they were in some joke. He released the break.

Placing one hand on the steering wheel, he took the car out of the parking spot and drove down the street, but not before he dropped the remaining of his cigarette out of the window.

It was down to the filter.

**xxxxx**

_**A/N:** Right, so I know that I have _Dedication_ to work on, but this thought popped into my head while writing chapter 5. It's just one of those stories you want to get out of your system before you can do anything else._

_This was my attempt at what I remember to be called Hemingway's Cigarette, and I can only apologize if it came out a bit juvenile. I have a feeling that the characters are a lil' bit outta character, but I hope you would just bare with me._

_As always, thanks for reading!_


End file.
